Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
(Jupiter, FL) After moving his scheduled start against the Boston Red Sox to the backfields for a camp game, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia was pleased with the decision.
“It was a good day,” said the left-hander, who threw 75 pitches for Springfield (AA) against Memphis (AAA). “It was a little windy out there, but it was good. I got my work in and I worked on the things I wanted to work on. A good day–a lot of positives out of it.”
Among the items on his checklist was working more out the stretch.
“Start with an error on the first batter of the game–things happen, I wasn’t trying to put the lead-off guy on every time but I had like three innings in a row,” said Garcia. “I felt like I did a good job working out of the stretch, keeping the ball down, and getting ground balls, and getting all those things I wanted to get.”
“Main thing is just fastball command, especially when the ball starts moving the way I want it to move,” he added. “Just being able to get ahead in the strike zone and control the strikes both sides of the plate. A little bit of everything.”
Garcia faced a lineup which included Charlie Tilson, Aledmys Diaz, Anthony Garcia, and Patrick Wisdom. All had recently been in big league camp with the Cardinals.
Two runs crossed the plate during his 4+ innings of work, unofficially only one was earned.
Particularly, only two hits were especially hard off Garcia–which he explained were indeed mistakes he made, but also noted one of those pitches he would not throw in a normal game circumstance.
“I just wanted to work on it,” said Garcia. “The way I was pitching that sequence, I don’t throw that in a real game but it’s a pitch that I try to throw earlier in the count. It just stayed up a little bit.”
The 75-count pitch limit was predetermined for Garcia, who wanted and lobbied to face more hitters.
“I was ready for that,” he said. “Now it’s just a matter of I’ve got one or two more starts before the regular season starts, so just building that pitch count.”
With nine games remaining, Garcia, Adam Wainwright, Mike Leake, and Michael Wacha have all made three Grapefruit League starts thus far and Carlos Martinez, who starts on Wednesday has two.
photo credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
More like this:
